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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22381339">The Peace Alliance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demondogweed/pseuds/Demondogweed'>Demondogweed</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Feral Behavior, Field Surgery, M/M, Multi, bad guys doing good, good guys doing bad, infected wounds, self interest is not a bad thing, unity critical</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 16:15:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,891</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22381339</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demondogweed/pseuds/Demondogweed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Sometimes, bad people do good things for bad reasons and prevent genocide. Sometimes, good people do bad things for good reasons to incite said genocide.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>This is a story of one mistake leading into a gelfling saving road trip from hell.</i></p><p> </p><p>SkekSil tries to get the Emperor to stop drinking Essence, instead, he gets a broken leg and incites a social change he had no interest in.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>skekAyuk/skekEkt (Dark Crystal), skekSo/skekZok/skekVar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Emperor has no chill and neither does Sil</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was very little to do as the world grew more and more mad around him. He could let the Emperor drain all gelfling and incite a war they did not need.</p>
<p>Or he could try to make his bid for power, while the wind was still in his favour.</p>
<p>"Sire, plan is insane, Chamberlain demands Haksheekah!" he had declared at court. It was a foolish move, as foolish as the Heretic's ramblings of unity.</p>
<p>But it was this and pain or his carefully laid plan in ruins. SkekSil was quite used to pain, more than to war. He could see skekZok stand and turn to look at the Emperor. </p>
<p>"Sire, while I normally would-"<br/>"Silence, Ritual Master! This -worm- wants to challenge -me-? We hardly need a ritual for this"</p>
<p>The Emperor was still high off Essence, given he had thrown skekSil a sword and had drawn his own. But that had been okay, Sil was not a stranger to sword fighting.</p>
<p>Only, as soon as the Emperor had grabbed him, the swords were forgotten as all civility left the duel. </p>
<p>It was no longer a duel. The Emperor was mad, tearing off cloth with his claws and teeth. SkekSil had tried to defend himself less like a beast and more like a lord, but as skekSo's teeth clamped shut around his arm, he had to fight back in earnest.</p>
<p>His claws had made skekSo leave his arm, but the Emperor's talons still cut through Sil's skin and held him in place. SkekSil snarled, kicked and bit his hands, trying to tear off flesh. SkekSo was strong, far too strong, and lifted Sil and threw him against a pillar.</p>
<p>SkekSil's world spun as he tried his best to stand up on his paws, panting. His mouth tasted of blood and his arm felt broken. He still put weight on it, growling and hissing at the mindless beast that had taken the Emperor's place. </p>
<p>The world had narrowed to only them, only the blood and the violence. SkekSil was sure others had long since stopped cheering as skekSo lost more and more of his sense.</p>
<p>The Emperor's jaws tried to find purchase around his neck but caught only cloth. Sil mentally thanked skekEkt's work on his collar as he tried to gain space to strike back.</p>
<p>
  <em>Chomp, <strong>CRUNCH.</strong></em>
</p>
<p>SkekSo had caught his rear paw in his jaws, holding onto it and pulling Sil back towards him. Sil was too filled with rage to care for the pain, digging his jaws around the Emperor's beak in turn. The position was awkward and something heinous was dripping down his throat. But it made skekSo let go. Something white kept leaking down  So's wounds, mixing with his blood. SkekSil sniffed the air as he limped into a better position, trying to pinpoint what it was.</p>
<p>It was pus. Oh Thra, was the Emperor rotting from inside?!</p>
<p>He didn't have time to think more, as skekSo was back on him in seconds. The two circled one another and bit and tore at each other, skekSo breaking Sil's tail from the middle and tearing his robes to rags. Sil managed to tear off a chunk of feathers from So, but those too tasted rotten. SkekSo used the time Sil spent spitting them out to push him on the floor and wrap his jaws around the Chamberlain's throat. Hard.</p>
<p>He was going to die...</p>
<p>"ENOUGH!"</p>
<p>SkekZok grabbed hold of So's hackles, eyes wide and teeth exposed.<br/>"My Emperor, nothing about this is lawful! He is broken and beaten, you won!" the Ritual Master yelled, all his decorum gone.  The Emperor let go and lunged at at Zok, jaws wide open. Enough time for Sil to scramble off.</p>
<p>SkekSil was usually on top of his instincts, never letting them make him lose his head. But now all he could think of was running and hiding, like a scared ardruff. His whole body ached as he jumped onto a high wall. High enough that the others could not reach him.</p>
<p>The world spun and spun like a sickening top, the adrenaline leaving his body fast. His arm hurt, his tail felt stiff, his back paw felt like it was in pieces. SkekSil bet the Ritual Master was already cooking up punishment for him. Flaying did not sound fun.<br/>--------------------<br/>"I think he went this way.." Ok said, making Sil bristle and snarl as he saw the tithing alliance and the Artisan alliance gather below him.<br/>"What... want?" Sil asked, eyeing the four skeksis balefully.<br/>"Well the Emperor is currently fighting Zok, sooo we skipped town" Lach noted. </p>
<p>Okay, that WAS worth leaving fast. SkekSo valued no skeksis higher than skekZok, to the point the Ritual Master was never the target of his ire.<br/>"Besides, you look dreadful, more than usual. What if any of us had been next?" Ekt supplied with his usual dramatics.<br/>"Is flesh wound, no need to worry" Sil tried to lie, putting weight on his back paw. Tears almost came to his face from the bone shards stabbing his nerves.<br/>"Your sole bone was shattered audibly, Chamberlain. the Scientist might-"<br/>"Replace, amputate? Think not!"</p>
<p>Despite his hissing, the four skeksis still looked at him with worry. That was unheard of as if they had been shocked by something,</p>
<p> Oh. They were.</p>
<p>"Emperor is mad, Essence make him mad, make him rot. Listen to Chamberlain, before too late!" SkekSil stated, trying to lift his tail, resulting in him screeching loudly as the bones moved wrong.<br/>"There he goes..." Ayuk muttered to Ekt, who shrugged.<br/>"Hey, at least he is not trying to eat Zok" Lach offered a counterpoint.</p>
<p>Yes, this gamble might have actually worked after all.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oww.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Making moves and meeting brothers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sil's plan is put into action, mostly without him, mostly with him unconscious. Only, he might have incited something far larger than he expected.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They had finally dragged the Chamberlain to the Scientist. Dragged was the keyword here, the slimy skeksis had refused treatment until Ayuk and Lach had wrestled him into a tail and hackles hold and carried him to the laboratory.</p><p>SkekTek went over Sil's injuries, his hackles lifted from the scent of blood, pus and spit. Not that Ekt could blame him, it was one thing for skeksis to fight. It was another to -maul- one another. <br/>"You think you can fix him?" Lach asked, ignoring the knife skekTek held in his tail towards them.<br/>"I can fix the arm, the cuts and the tail easily. But his back paw is crushed. I would need to perform surgery to get bone shards off and splint it. Even then, it might heal crooked" Tek mused, ignoring a valiant effort from Sil to smack him with his tail.<br/>"Sound not worth it" Sil griped and hissed.<br/>"If you want to use a cane or run on three legs, be my guest. Otherwise, it needs treatment"</p><p>No one was too eager to watch a surgery and Sil still refused it. So a splint it was for the moment. They had tried to explain the events to the Scientist, though four skeksis trying to tell the same thing all at once was bound for failure.<br/>"He just bit and mauled the Chamberlain like a beast? Because of Essence?" Tek asked, the four skeksis nodding in unison.<br/>"Well, it was never going to be a permanent solution anyway" the Scientist mused.</p><p>"We must plan, plot. Not much time until Ritual Master comes, or General. Or -Emperor.-" Sil spoke, sitting up and starting to limp around on three legs.<br/>"Hold up, are you suggesting an -alliance- against the Emperor?" skekOk asked, trying to subtly hide behind Ekt.<br/>"Emperor mad will create war. Is rotting. Must stop, before too late" Sil argued back, looking more convincing than before without his typical affect or smarm. <br/>"And you are gonna lead it, huh?" the Collector asked.<br/>"Chamberlain the only one -willing- to lead"</p><p>For once, it was not a lie or manipulation. There were skeksis who sought power and control, those who would gravitate towards the Emperor. Then there were the rest, ones who knew to pull their claws off the fire before they got burned. Ekt considered himself proudly the latter, the less he took part in politics the fewer eyes there were on him and Ayuk.</p><p>"Great. If you five are finished, I need to prepare for the Emperor and...the Ritual Master" the Scientist spat out. Only, the five did not leave but looked at him expectantly.<br/>"What? You high lords want -me- to join your treasonous alliance?" Tek asked, eyes wide.<br/>"Scientist only source of Essence, Scientist know much of body. Easy to treat Emperor's madness" SkekSil stated and smiled at Tek.<br/>"And if they catch me lying? I'm sure you all know how much the Ritual Master wants to hurt me"<br/>"Can't catch lying if not at Castle"</p><p><br/>---------------</p><p>It had taken far too long for skekSo to calm down. It was one thing to see him correct the Chamberlain like a foolish hound. It was another to seriously injure and try to kill the worm.</p><p>But it was the worst when his best friend had attacked him afterwards. SkekSo had a temper, but he had always held his dignity as his most valued aspect. </p><p>The creature that Zok now watched dozing on the floor was not that. Not only were its jaws painted with blood, but its nose leaked pus constantly.</p><p>To think skekLach had disgusted him.</p><p>It was easy to hear the General arriving. A combination of snorts and panting heralded the grey skeksis to the throne room.<br/>"Ritual Master, how is- OH THRA" skekVar howled as he saw skekSo's state. The howl turned into a low growl.<br/>"Who did this? Was it the Chamberlain?" the General asked. Zok shook his head, wiping some dried blood off his snout.<br/>"They fought, but our Emperor won. But it seems the Essence has had some... side effects" he admitted.<br/>"Oh...shit"</p><p>----------------------------------</p><p>Tek remembered vaguely playing a game where you slotted different shapes into a space. It had been his favourite. Err, TekTih's favourite.</p><p>Slotting six skeksis into one carriage was another matter. They had to be stealthy, but the way the podlings had looked at them, no doubt the rumours would reach the Emperor soon.</p><p>To think, though, he had been accepted into a high lord alliance. One that was out of a dire need, sure. But one took what one got.</p><p>Currently, he had the carriage wall and skekOk. No matter how altruistic their goals, skeksis were still skeksis. Ekt and Sil had won the centre of the carriage, Ayuk naturally joining his mate. Lach, Tek and Ok? Well, they had to make do.</p><p>"Once we reach Har'rar, can I THEN clean your leg, Chamberlain?" Tek asked eyes squinted from the glare of Ok's glasses.<br/>"Why so important? Does not hurt" The whimperer whimpered back.<br/>"Because you are more doped up than the Conqueror was. It'll get gangrene if I don't clean it soon"<br/>"Not want to lose it, understand"<br/>"As long as you don't injure it further..."</p><p>They ended up not stopping at Har'Rar. The armlings had collectively decided that they wanted a food break, and so skekTek had to contend with field surgery. He was, naturally, nowhere near as good at it as skekUng. But the Spy Master was doing his own thing and calling him would take far too long. As would skekMal and even the ever clever skekGra was out of the question.</p><p>He had managed to smuggle some tools from the lab, but due to their quick escape, they were hardly sufficient for the whole operation. Luckily, the Ornamentalist had needles and thread, the Scroll-Keeper had a journal and the Gourmand had brought alcohol.</p><p>"Are you...certain you can fix it?" skekOk whimpered, hiding behind an anatomical drawing of gelfling musculature. That was the best reference of skeksis leg musculature he had and it had to do. </p><p>There were a lot of bone shards that he could not reattach, they had the honour of being given to Thra's wildlife. It was lucky that most of the bone could be wired and nailed together. It was a crude job, but with no Essence to magically make it better (or fill the wound with pus) this was the best he could manage. </p><p>As Tek disinfected and wrapped Sil's leg into a splint, he let out a strangled groan. No matter if the rest had allied with him, skekSil was a not one to forget slights easily. If his leg would never heal, Tek was no doubt going to lose an eye.</p><p>But the bone shards he had removed took his attention from the four pairs of eyes glaring at him.<br/>"Curious, despite being removed from the body, they do not turn to dust," he said as he inspected one.<br/>"Please don't speak of -dust-, Scientist, I might faint" added the Ornamentalist helpfully, looking hale and hearty. Tek rolled his eyes.<br/>"Well, I have fixed him as much as I can, now excuse me while I go scream in the woods" he stated and loped off to do just that.<br/>"Are we going to stay here? In the woods?"<br/>"Until skekSil is well enough to travel, yes"<br/>"Ugh, well I'm not going to sleep on the ground"<br/>"Then where are ya-"<br/>Tek heard something large jump into a tree. Huh, guess the Ornamentalist wasn't all talk.</p><p>"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" He screamed into the empty woods, hearing animals scramble away behind his own voice. Tek was the lone ardruff in this pack, he could do nothing to defend himself from being the lowest rung again.</p><p>"Keep that up and you have nothing to hunt" a mystic stated next to him. Tek's frustrated cries turned into a scared holler as he jumped up and landed on all fours, hissing and his hackles lifted. But the mystic only sighed at his display.<br/>"I swear, every time I meet one of you, always the same thing. Stop that, Tih's other half, you won't harm me and I won't harm you" it continued and poked Tek with its staff. Tek kept himself puffed up, especially as the scent of skekMal hit his nose. Of course, he had to run into the Archer.<br/>"What, do, you, want?" Tek asked, trying to lift his upper chops enough to show his canines.<br/>"To eat something tonight. But also, some want to meet you"</p><p><br/>Ekt lounged on the branch, surveying the darkening woods. Despite his back paws and tail hanging down, it was comfortable. Gelfling could keep their wings, Ekt preferred something solid between him and the ground. Besides, he could always catch a bird if it came to that.</p><p>Then he smelled it, mystics. Ekt rose to his feet and started growling, giving others a warning of the impeding creatures. He was not going down now, even if there was a fight.</p><p>"My esteemed colleagues, it seems we are not the only ones who were displaced," the Scientist said as he -led- four mystics to their camp. Ekt bristled, his tail twitching audibly against the tree trunk. It wasn't hard to notice the...other half. Skreech and spits.<br/>"Are you betraying us, Scientist!?" Ok whimpered, despite his threat posture.<br/>"No! SkekMal's mystic forced me!" the Scientist spat back. Ekt let out a hiss at urUtt the weakling. The mystic looked up at him and snorted back.</p><p><br/>SkekSil clawed his mind desperately to wakefulness, ignoring his back leg feeling utterly numb. If the Scientist had ruined it, he would claim his due. As he opened his eyes, he was certain the Spithead had spiked his anaesthetic with urdrup berries. How else was spitting -urSol- staring at him?<br/>"Ah, welcome back to the waking world, Chamberlain. I was worried I would have to carry you" the Chanter said. Sil forced himself to his paws, hissing.<br/>"YOU!" he shrieked.<br/>"Yes, me. Long-time no see, brother"</p><p>SkekSil looked around nervously, how had the Chanter got here? His answer was the three other mystics just calmly sitting in their camp as the skeksis looked like scared fizzgigs.<br/>"Why, is, here?" Sil turned his gaze back to the Chanter and asked, his tail twitching from anger.<br/>"Can you first stop moving your tail, it is rather uncomfortable" the spithead replied. Sil sat down, balefully glaring at his 'brother.' UrSol nodded his approval and took a more comfortable position. Sil hissed back, not in the mood to even pretend to be amicable.</p><p>"I, and the rest, are here because we have been lied to by our own. You fought with the... Emperor, correct?" the chanter asked casually.<br/>"How do know?"<br/>"A little bird told me, and your injuries are telling"</p><p>The little bird was hardly a joke, speaking to animals had been a useful talent of SilSol's. SkekSil still kept sneering at his counterpart, however. Thinking of a way to get him out with his cud-chewing flockmates.<br/>"Well, as usual, I got your injuries. But the funny thing is, the Master did -not.- He cried out in pain, but I saw no blood or cuts" UrSol said and Sil's growls ceased. He could hear the other skeksis fall silent as well, shocked by the mystic's words.<br/>"The Emperor got pretty roughed up, right?" the Chanter asked Sil, no longer smiling. There was a dangerous intensity to his green eyes.<br/>" Leaked pus, from snout. Only broke skin, not bone. But many wounds should have bled" he confirmed, hackles raised now from what this all implied.<br/>"Strange, isn't it? As if our Master was -hiding- something"</p><p>The skeksis whimpered and bristled as one as they took in urSol's words, looking at one another to see if one would call a bluff. But no one did.<br/>"I decided to leave, to see what was going on with you. It seems I did the right thing" the Chanter finished his story.<br/>"What about archer, the cook and the weaver?" Sil asked, his thoughts racing faster than he could put into words.<br/>"UrVa is just escorting us, as for the-" urSol began, but the cook cut in.<br/>"FUCK,URSU'S,RULES" urAmaj called out, long-tail hitting the ground like a maul.</p><p>"I have made only gruel for trines, because the 'master' declared we must live simply. Anything edible and he would lecture me. If he has been lying to us, I have no reason to stay" urAmaj continued, snout twisted into a very un-mystic-like snarl. UrUtt took courage from Amaj's words and spoke as well.<br/>"I know my reasons are selfish, but I too want more than urSu's monk robes. I err we, were exiled because we wanted to make the world beautiful and unique. I can't trust someone who thinks that was wrong" the Weaver said shyly.</p><p> </p><p>It was rather quiet after the two mystics had spoken, no one really knowing how to even move on from the revelations their 'light' halves had told.</p><p>"Uh, so, if we are gonna stay here, when's lunch?" Lach mercifully piped up. Ayuk and Amaj looked at one another, small growls forming in their throats. Both were charge of their own kitchens, and even Sil knew you did not put your claw into the kitchen's business. But almost like they had telepathically communicated, the two cooks nodded at one another and started gathering supplies.</p><p>It was eerie to watch as the two soon seamlessly worked to make a soup. No one spoke, but slowly the skeksis relaxed, hackles lowered and tails stilling.</p><p>Food was, after all, one thing they all needed and their cooks the source of it. There was an unspoken trust that neither Ayuk or Amaj would poison their kin and they had never broken it. As the food was served, no one was whining as they were too busy trying to eat.</p><p>It did not, however, mean Ekt was coming down from his perch. Oh no. The Ornamentalist ate his soup on the branch, still eyeing Utt.<br/>"So are you now going to start using scissors, weaver?" he asked, putting emphasis on the mystic's title.<br/>"Sure, maybe you could also learn to weave something" Utt retorted back, long tongue cleaning his bowl in a strange motion.<br/>"If you start cutting, maybe"<br/>"Deal"</p><p>As much as Tek wanted to fall to the Emperor-accepted thinking that the mystics were their worse halves, the Scientists couldn't. He had never seen so many pairs interact together, only some vague meetings between Tih and himself.  </p><p>While Sil and Sol seemed to be at odds, both seemed to know what the other wanted. Meanwhile, the cooks and the designers spoke together like they were long lost siblings reunited. Tek could hear snippets of Amaj's rant about the gruel, or Utt explaining magic weaving to disbelieving Ekt.</p><p>It was strange, but not unwelcome. Tek fed the armlings as he watched the conversations go by. Maybe, just maybe, this insane plan would turn out good?</p><p>Most likely not, though.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Friends in the right and wrong places</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>As skekSo hears of the mass exodus, skekTek gets information from an unlikely source.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I want them hunted, I want their hides!"</p><p>SkekZok watched as the Emperor paced a circle around the throne room. There were many in that group he wanted to punish, mostly the Chamberlain and the Scientist. But this exodus was unprecedented. Most of the court had left, leaving only him, skekSo and skekVar.<br/>"Sire, I understand your anger. But we shouldn't bother the Hunter with this. These are creatures used to a cosy life. I am sure they'll return in an unum" he tried his best to calm skekSo down. <br/>"Yes, sire! Those weaklings will just end up fighting one another, I'm sure that-" skekVar began, but skekSo's gurgling growl cut him short.<br/>"We do not have the TIME you imbecile! We -need- the Essence!" the Emperor roared, teeth bared and pus pouring from his wounds. SkekVar deflated visibly, skekZok winced at the use of words as well. The Emperor didn't relent and lunged at skekVar, the General taking the cue to trundle away.</p><p>SkekZok watched skekSo pant and lean on his cane, claws digging deep grooves into it. What was going on? Nothing good, he decided.<br/>"So, what is this about? Your injuries, your anger, this isn't -you-" he asked as he offered skekSo his hand in support. Only for skekSo to slap it away.<br/>"Do not address me such in front of the court, Ritual Master. I am well, I am not weak" the Emperor snarled, trying his best to stand straight once more.<br/>"What court? Var? -Shod-? We are alone until skekUng and others arrive" skekZok stated, his patchy hackles lifted.<br/>"I will never see you as weak, So. You know that. But you are ill, look at you!" he continued and dug out a mirror from his robe. For a make-up mirror, it had been useful in his work indeed.</p><p>SkekSo looked into the mirror, eyes widening and teeth grinding. Zok barely managed to lift it up before skekSo's claws destroyed it. He let skekSo get out his anger, as long as his friend didn't collapse entirely. SkekSo's snarls softened as the room remained silent and without any accusing voices. But only outside his head, skekZok knew well.<br/>"Zok, I need the Essence. If I don't, if I..." skekSo finally spoke, voice hoarse and weak. SkekZok didn't hesitate to hug his friend and offer him a shoulder to lean on. They were in this together, they would burn together or not at all.</p><p>But far too soon, skekSo pulled himself away, grumbling and hissing.<br/>"I need to think, inform me when the Spy Master and Satirist arrive," the Emperor said and soon skekSo had disappeared into the dark halls. SkekZok breathed a raspy breath of annoyance.</p><p>The General sneaked back with the kind of grace that most nerbies had on land.<br/>"Ritual Master, is he calm? What is wrong with him?" skekVar asked, looking very lost. <br/>"I don't know, he is afraid of something. Maybe the illness" skekZok mused as his eyes still bore into the darkness. Hoping to see his friend return.</p><p>But he didn't.</p><p>---------------------<br/>"Five men dead on a gelfling ship!"<br/>"Yo-Ho-Ho and rum a bottle!"</p><p>They had run out of painkillers far too quickly, given the amount of injuries skekSil still nursed. SkekTek was not too fond of making skekSil drunk to make his pain lesser, but they had no other choice.</p><p>His other half joining in, however, was not expected. The urru's leg was expertly tended and seemed healthy enough. But he had said he wanted to join in on the fun.</p><p>Thus, a duet from the depths of the abyss itself.</p><p>"Not gonna catch much food with those two makin' a racket" Lach noted as they helped urAmaj peel some root vegetables the urru had found. </p><p>Despite skekTek's expectations, the urru had slotted themselves into the group with frightening ease. UrAmaj and skekAyuk had discussed the day's menu, while urUtt and skekEkt were trying their best to make some sort of robe for skekSil to wear.</p><p>"I thought you lords at the castle don't hunt?" UrUtt asked, eyeing his other half, who made a face.<br/>"Most of the time, no. But I sometimes still catch birds for the sake of it" the Ornamentalist said and his gaze turned to the treetops. UrUtt stared at his counterpart.<br/>"Oh...wow, no wonder my hands and knees hurt at times," he said followed Ekt's gaze. There were some birds flying nearby, but they avoided the clearing. Skeksis scent, no doubt.</p><p>SkekTek cracked his knuckles and headed to get more water. Until skekSil was fit enough, they couldn't even think of going to Har'rar.</p><p>Nevermind the issue with Rian. Hopefully, the gelfling was captured soon, otherwise, things could get difficult with the gelfling. Even if the Alliance had sworn off Essence, what Rian had seen was valuable enough information to use against them.</p><p>SkekTek tried to convince himself he had not missed the way a stream sounded in a quiet forest. He tried his best to think of his lab and the smell of lava and the Crystal and-</p><p>"Are you sure you can carry that jug, weakling?" skekMal asked. skekTek's hackles rose and his tail desperately sought refuge between his legs. The feral creature that was the Hunter was staring at him from the other side of the stream like he had always been there. His scent was nowhere, hidden under some ointments the feral skeksis used.</p><p>SkekTek pressed himself against the ground, fear in his eyes but his jaws still twisted into a defensive snarl. The Hunter had been called for them, of course, he had been. The Emperor was not one to tolerate insult lightly.</p><p>"Stop that grovelling, runt. I'm not here for you or for your pretend flock" skekMal rumbled, relaxing his posture even further. Now that skekTek could take a breath, he noticed skekMal was not at all aggressive. Tail relaxed and no hackles lifted.</p><p>(Part of him was scolding the other for forgetting the Hunter most likely -did not- say 'hi' to his prey.)</p><p>"Then...what are you here for?" skekTek asked, sitting up but still submissive. The Hunter ranked much higher in the pecking order than him.</p><p>"I heard from the Archer that our dear Emperor had gotten sick," the Hunter said and leaned closer to skekTek.<br/>"He isn't the only one. I have seen the veins, runt. Purple, smelling of rot. As are the creatures it poisons. I have lost prey to it" he continued, eyeing skekTek without blinking. SkekTek's tail hit the ground, his hackles lifted.<br/>"The Darkening, the Emperor is poisoned by the Darkening" he whimpered and forced his hackles down quickly.<br/>"Maybe, you are the one playing with carcasses here, runt. But what I -know- is that the mystic 'Master' is not showing signs. I have caught his scent recently, that twisted thing is doing something" the Hunter continued, scoffing then.<br/>"I don't play with bodies, runt. But you do, you know how it all works by scrolls. Now is your chance to be useful and cure whatever this 'Darkening' rot is" </p><p>SkekTek nodded, receiving only a grunt from the Hunter as the feral skeksis loped back into the woods. For a moment, skekTek just sat there, listening as the birds began to sing and the stream continued its soft song. Like a great danger had left.</p><p>He returned to the group, now wrestling with skekSil to dress him. There was no fighting between the halves, no arguing and just co-operation. </p><p>But, that was not the case with the Master and the Emperor, skekTek realised. If the Darkening was rotting one, it should rot the other. If the rot affected only one, then either the other was using magic to hide it. </p><p>Or worse, was causing it.</p><p>SkekTek might have denied it in public, but he cared for Thra's wilderness. Unlike the medical mind of skekUng, skekTek had always loved biology and through it, biomechanics and chemistry. He understood the land, he had seen the Darkening spread through his samples.</p><p>More than that, despite his extraterrestrial origins, Thra was his home. TekTih might have thought differently, but skekTek had never known anything else. He breathed Thra's air, drank its' water, hunted its prey animals and slept under its moons. SkekTek had joined this ill-fated alliance to gain favour and avoid punishment. But now he had a reason beyond the Chamberlain's foolishness to be part of it.</p><p>If Thra died, they all died. There was no skeksis homeworld, only Thra.</p><p>"My esteemed allies, I have something to tell you"</p>
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